


A Desperate Man

by serafina19



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers until 2x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-27 00:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6263017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serafina19/pseuds/serafina19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Thompson stands in front of Carter and Sousa, trigger in hand, knowing what he had done. AU scene that takes place right after 2x08.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Desperate Man

This situation wasn't like what he told Carter a few days ago. He knew this was possible from the moment he cut the fuel line. It wasn't a shock that they had figured out what he had done, and he knew better than to insult their intelligence, but Jack had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Because that meant he had burnt his last bridge.

Granted, it was a miracle that they ever trusted him at all, especially considering how he had treated them in New York, heck, even now. Furthermore, Jack knew all too well what they thought of him. While Carter knew first hand of his cowardly ways, Sousa didn't even need that story. 

Even they would have to admit what he did tonight was brave though. Foolish, stupid were also worthy descriptions. But still brave.

He stood there, gun down at his side, trigger in his other hand, while Carter's gun was pointed right at him. He wanted to believe that she wouldn't shoot, but he was almost certain that any trust or faith she put in him was gone.

The trigger was fixed, and Samberly wasn't a problem, so for just a second, Jack looked at Sousa, who seemed as surprised by Carter's actions as he was. At least his gun wasn't lifted yet. Although...

_“So if the situation was reversed, that’s what you would have done? Let him shoot me.”_

It would be so easy. But even Jack froze at the idea. He was never a boy scout, but that? That was something else entirely. Part of him _was_ intrigued by what Carter would do if he did lift his gun in Sousa’s direction, but the worst-case wasn't worth the rewards. In fact, it wasn't like the rewards did him any good.

What Jack hadn't realized was that he had stared too long and Sousa figured out what was going on.  "Really Jack?" he asked.

However, Sousa didn't pull out his gun. He didn't have to, as Jack’s expression fell further before he moved his finger off the trigger. As scared as he was of the consequences of not pressing that button, and the conviction that he held in making his own decision for once, it was a line that he didn't want to cross anymore.

One could make an argument that he had already crossed it. But he found a small amount of solace in that Vernon was the only who suffered for that decision. Jack wouldn't lose much sleep over that.

When a noise went off in the background, everyone looked at him. Too dazed to register words, Jack just shook his head, handing Carter his gun and trigger. Satisfied, her words became clearer as she explained what Wilkes was going to do.

 _He just wanted to do the right thing_ , Jack thought. At least it was one thing they had in common. Wilkes had purer motives, a more sympathetic story, but all Jack wanted was a moment of making the tough call and making things right.

He was serious regarding his motives on wanting to blow the building. Whitney Frost had to be stopped, Wilkes could go down the same path as Frost in a matter of time, and Vernon would have Carter and Sousa killed when this was over. Heck, even if he didn't, Jack's life was dictated by what he thought. Whether Vernon was like a second father to him or not, Jack couldn't do that anymore. He wanted to climb the ladder based on merits, not politics or lies. More importantly, he wanted to be free from the grasp Vernon seemed to have on him.

Wilkes was still dangerous, he believed that, and from what little he knew about him, even the doctor himself was open to self-sacrifice to keep people safe. However, Jack wouldn't expect Peggy to understand his motivations, because they had different definitions of desperation.

People like her, Sousa, Wilkes... they threw themselves in the line of fire when things got bad. Jack, meanwhile, relied on self-preservation. But a lot of good that approach did him, as it blinded the ideals he once had, the commitment of making a better world instead of fixating on a promotion. Honestly, he deserved solitude.

"Chief Thompson! Are you listening?"

He wasn't. At this point, he figured anything they would tell him would be things he already knew. "What?"

Peggy glanced down, so Jack followed suit and saw that she holding him his gun towards him, waiting for him to take it. "I shouldn't trust you after this, but we don't have much choice."

"This is a bad idea, Peg," Sousa said. Jack inclined to agree with him.

"I'd rather not work with someone who pointed a gun at me," Samberly said quietly.

But Carter wasn't fazed in the slightest, slamming the side of the gun against Jack's chest. "Frost terrifies him and she just killed the only person he could betray us to." Looking straight in his eyes, she said. "Jack, are you with us?"

He was honestly stunned. But then he remembered that Carter was one of a kind.

"Yeah," Jack practically croaked, taking the gun. Maybe he wasn't a lost cause just yet. "What's the play?"

**~End~**

**Author's Note:**

> The whole time I watched that scene in 2x08, I kept waiting for Jack to point his gun at Sousa. He overheard that conversation... and shows tend to do stuff like that. While I'm relieved the show didn't go that route, this idea wouldn't leave me. Granted, I've been deliberating whether or not to post this since the episode aired, as I pretty much wrote it on my phone while on vacation, but at this point, I figured... why not?


End file.
